Nomadic Tendencies

30 days in Pakistan

Pakistan meant a lot to me, both good and bad emotions would arise at the thought of it. It was here that I was born and the place I would visit from time to time as a young child. As a result, I spent more time on airplanes than most of my peers. An opportunity that I truly didn't appreciate till I got older. I could still recall a bit of the language and culture, but nothing that would prepare me for the uncertainties of my exploration. I truly believed it was my duty and right to show others a part of the world that they would probably never see. My hope is that sharing my personal experiences will encourage others to let go of their preconceived notions and embrace the unknown; to completely immerse in culture and see the world through a different lens. This is Nomadic Tendencies.

Quetta is the capital city of Balochistan, one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Balochistan is the largest of the Pakistani provinces but the least inhabited. It covers 45% of its geographical area but only occupied by less than 4% of the country’s population. A valley surrounded by rolling hills and mountains, primarily home to Baloch and Pashtun people. We had landed at the airport after what I can only describe as a very strenuous and draining plane ride across the world. We were greeted by our family friend who would be our guide and humble driver during our stay here. His car was a small white Suzuki Mehran that had several scratches and dents. The city was very hot and dry and the smell of exhaust and smoke from the food cooking on the side of the street was overwhelming. It was apparent that we were not only in a different  country but a different world. There were very minimal street signs and almost all of the building and cars were old and dilapidated. A beautiful, yet unusual landscape. The lights were bright, the sounds were loud and the smells were unpredictable. All of my senses were triggered. I sat back and looked out the window trying to embrace every little bit of it. Street vendors were selling recently slaughtered animals and freshly picked fruits that were usually covered with hundreds of flies.  Our home was located in one of the poorest and most dangerous streets in the city, but I would later find out that it was also home to some of the most interesting and gracious people in the world. I embraced the unfamiliarity, letting go of worry and doubt, welcomed the adventure ahead. This was Quetta and this was home for the next month. 

I spent the first couple of days acclimating to my new living conditions. I intentionally didn't bring my phone because I wanted to fully immerse myself in the culture and learn as much as I could about the people and the region. Without internet I had no connection to the outside world or anyone back home besides the occasional phone call to my mother. Putting a pause on the digital world left me with a newfound lust for living my life. I embraced every minute of the day like it was precious. Quetta's lack of clean water meant that I had to drink solely from sealed water bottles or from my water filter that I had brought. This also meant I had to be very careful about the food that I ate, since it was mostly prepared with the local water. Every 2-3 hours the power would shut off- sometimes for 30 minutes and others times it could last for several hours. The mosquitoes and flies were ceaseless constantly surrounding my body. In order to prevent malaria, I had to take a quinine pill every week. It took countless upset stomachs, nights of insomnia and difficulty breathing to finally get somewhat adjusted with the conditions. Even in my final days abroad I found myself still acclimating to their way of life and learning something new not only from the culture, but about myself. It was such a sudden and drastic change from the western ways I've grown accustomed to that I felt more nomadic than ever; completely transplanted from my comfort zone into a completely new world. Most mornings I woke up at sunrise with the call to prayer, something unfamiliar to those who haven't visited an Islamic country before. This was a very strange at first but quickly became the way I would start most mornings and the way I knew what time of day it was. I spent my first couple of days getting acquainted with the local town. I wanted to figure out the best places and times to take pictures and capture the energy of Quetta's people. The things that seemed so foreign to me in the beginning started to become familiar and I soon felt prepared for most situations. I knew that the electricity might go out any time and I had my flashlight ready. I adapted to the heat and established a routine that became second nature after the first week or so. I would play with my relatives during the day, teaching them how to play soccer or volleyball. They looked up to me and I adored them; a relationship that had taught me a lot about myself and the innocence of childhood. My aunts and uncles would recall memories of when I was a child and I couldn't help but reflect on my humble beginnings. Life in Pakistan was so simple and it was something that I really admired. 

One of my favorite outdoor experiences on this trip was visiting a famous holiday resort called Ziarat- which is located about 70 miles northeast of Quetta. My guide was a family friend and his two sons who were near my age. I wanted to take the opportunity to document a different part of the city – to truly embrace every moment. Through my earlier travels, I had learned what was appropriate to photograph. Most images I captured on the move- through the window of a moving car but I couldn't be happier with the way that they turned out absolute magic moments. Our first pit stop was a local town just outside of the main city. I am normally reserved in photographing people but everyone embraced me with open arms and welcomed the opportunity. I discovered that people were more open to getting their picture taken than I had originally thought. Shopkeepers posed for me and passerbys even smiled when I snapped a quick portrait of them. The final pit stop before our destination was a beautiful park with a small tea shop and the first real assembly of trees I had seen all day. We sat and enjoyed the breeze and smell of Juniper trees in the distance. We finally finished our tea, jumped in the car made our way to the destination. The lookout point was a small cement structure covered in graffiti. Even though it was cloudy and you couldn't see it very well, I was ecstatic to finally breathe fresh air and see actual nature. Other visitors had come to enjoy the scenery too – taking their pictures and selfies which I easily related to people back home. One of my favorite experiences was meeting the local children who were reciting prayers in a small room. I asked their teacher if I could take their picture and he approved. It was one of the most heartwarming experiences as a photographer to see a group of small children have their picture taken for the first time. This picture alone sums up the true joy and innocence of the children in this country. Every child exhibited a different emotion in the picture- one displayed a genuine smile, one looked off in the distance laughing, one looked away in shyness and the young ones just looked at the lens with a sense of amusement. For me, I saw the faces and emotions of each and every person that I had met along my journey. Those kids reminded me of the purest sentiments of adventure: a part of you is excited and happy, a part of you is sometime looking in the wrong direction, a part of you is apprehensive or scared and a part of you is simply baffled by what you're experiencing. I couldn't be more grateful for experiencing all of those feelings. On the way down I continued to photograph. The people of this region had never really had their pictures taken before so it was all a new and very strange experience. It was one of the most eye opening experiences of my life to share a single moment with each person photographed. I was just a tourist and a photographer who was documenting their lives, but for them it was how they lived everyday.

On august 26th, we finally packed our bags and said goodbye to city of never-ending adventure; the city that scared me but instead embraced me with open arms. I had a sinking feeling that I would not experience anything like this again and this made my last day very difficult. The people and culture of this country have taught me so much about myself; I couldn't be more proud of my roots and where I came from. I didn't know how to approach such a tremendous task of writing about a trip that was not only a spiritual but emotional journey for me in a country that has followed me like a shadow throughout my life.  This is the country that I owe a great deal of respect and gratitude to. It wasn't always a smooth ride and it took a lot of courage to take the pictures that I did and write the words that you have just read. I hope I did the people of Pakistan justice in describing their country. I hope I was able to change your perspective in some way, so that next time you hear about Pakistan in the media, you are more aware and accepting of the people and culture; the people that don't have much and the country that isn't always perfect; people that have so much love for one another in a country that has always tried its best to not fall apart. There's more to this world then what we see and read in media outlets. I hope you gained insight on what it truly means to embrace a sense of adventure. I hope you are able to see that the world isn't as big as we think, and we are all connected in some way or another. I've learned that everyone in the world wants the same things: to be understood, to be loved and to experience new and exciting things. This trip showed me that the people of Pakistan embrace this philosophy each and every day. This wasn't the trip that I was expecting, but it has ultimately left me longing to see the world and explore as many cultures I can. There are endless cultures and beautiful people in the world and once you get an idea of how similar we truly are, there's not a place in the world that you won't want to visit. Nomadic Tendencies is a tribute to those who have always searched for adventure and embraced all the emotions that come with it. We are all nomads by nature, and this world is is ready to embrace you with open arms. Take away all your predispositions and let the sense of wonder allow you to roam forever.

I want to thank all the amazing people that I met on my journey, from my very kind hearted relatives to even the strangers on the streets who never treated me with disrespect. I wanna thank everybody at Roark for allowing me to tell my story and believing in a young photographer with nothing but a sense of wonder. I would like to also thank Agnieszka Stuchlik who edited all of my pictures; I cant thank you enough for helping my photographs come to life. Lastly I want to thank my Father for not only allowing me to go on this journey but bringing me to America 20 years ago and showing me what it truly means to be grateful for everything you have. Thank you pops.

Till the next adventure , Jon Buzdar